Director of Career Services and Workforce Partnerships

Director of Career Services and Workforce Partnerships Located in Greensboro, North Carolina, Bennett College is a private, historically Black liberal arts college for women dedicated to empowering students through academic excellence, leadership development, civic engagement, and social justice. Bennett College seeks talented professionals who are passionate about student success, inclusive excellence, and contributing to a collaborative campus culture that advances the institution’s legacy of educating and empowering women for meaningful lives and impactful careers.

GENERAL SUMMARY

The Director of Career Services & Workforce Partnerships provides visionary and strategic leadership for career development, experiential learning, employer engagement, workforce partnerships, and post‑graduate success initiatives that prepare Bennett students and graduates for meaningful careers, advanced education, and lifelong professional achievement. Reporting to the Executive Director of Student Success & Retention, the Director leads the development, implementation, and assessment of comprehensive career readiness strategies that integrate career exploration, workforce preparation, internships, graduate school planning, and employer engagement throughout the student lifecycle. Through innovative programming and strategic partnerships, the Director cultivates opportunities that enhance career outcomes and strengthen the visibility and success of Bennett graduates. The Director serves as the College’s primary liaison to employers, industry leaders, workforce agencies, community organizations, and graduate and professional schools, actively building relationships that create employment pathways, internship opportunities, and transformational experiences for Bennett Belles.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

Provide strategic leadership for a comprehensive career development program that prepares students for successful careers, graduate education, and lifelong professional growth. Design and implement a four‑year professional developmental model that intentionally integrates career exploration and career planning throughout the student experience. Provide individual and group career coaching related to career exploration, major selection, resume and cover letter development, interviewing skills, networking, job search strategies, salary negotiation, and professional branding. Develop and facilitate career development workshops on topics including career readiness, professional etiquette, workplace communication, financial literacy, LinkedIn optimization, social media/personal branding, interviewing, and workplace professionalism. Coordinate graduate and professional school exploration initiatives, including application planning, personal statement writing workshops, admissions timelines, and interview preparation. Collaborate with faculty and academic departments to embed career readiness competencies throughout the curriculum and co‑curricular experience.

WORKFORCE PARTNERSHIPS & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Develop and sustain strategic partnerships with employers, corporations, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, workforce boards, alumni, and community leaders that expand opportunities for Bennett students. Dedicate regular time each month to cultivating external relationships through employer visits, networking events, community engagement, and workforce partnership development. Identify and establish new internship pipelines, experiential learning opportunities, and employment pathways aligned with institutional priorities and student interests. Serve as the primary institutional representative for employer relations and workforce engagement initiatives. Expand partnerships that create mentorship opportunities, apprenticeships, micro‑internships, job shadowing experiences, and career pipelines for students and graduates. Collaborate with local, regional, and national organizations to increase recruitment of Bennett graduates. Provide leadership for institutional internship and experiential learning initiatives that connect classroom learning with professional practice. Coordinate internship development, employer engagement, student placement processes, and assessment of experiential learning outcomes. Collaborate with faculty and employers to ensure internships provide meaningful educational and career development experiences. Coordinate institutional student employment and work‑study opportunities in collaboration with campus departments and appropriate administrative offices. Develop systems to monitor internship participation, employer satisfaction, and student learning outcomes. Expand access to high‑impact experiential learning opportunities that strengthen workforce readiness and post‑graduate success. Lead planning and execution of annual career fairs, networking events, employer recruitment activities, graduate school fairs, and industry‑specific programming. Coordinate employer information sessions, on‑campus interviews, and recruitment opportunities. Develop signature programs that connect students with alumni, executives, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders. Create innovative initiatives that celebrate career success, internship achievement, graduate school acceptance, and workforce readiness. Collaborate with Institutional Advancement and Marketing to elevate and promote student and alumni success stories.

DATA, ASSESSMENT & POST‑GRADUATE OUTCOMES

Develop and maintain comprehensive systems for collecting, analyzing, and reporting career outcomes data. Lead implementation of first‑destination surveys and post‑graduation outcomes tracking consistent with national best practices. Establish performance metrics related to career readiness participation, internship placement, graduate school acceptance, employment outcomes, employer engagement, and workforce partnerships. Utilize data to drive continuous improvement, strategic planning, accreditation reporting, and institutional effectiveness initiatives. Prepare reports and dashboards demonstrating the impact of Career Services on student success and institutional outcomes. Collaborate with Institutional Research and the Executive Director to support data‑informed decision‑making and assessment.

STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP & COLLABORATION

Collaborate with Academic Affairs, Student Success, faculty, alumni relations, enrollment management, and external partners to create an integrated career development ecosystem. Supervise student employees, interns, and volunteers, as assigned. Develop strategic plans and annual goals aligned with institutional priorities and workforce needs. Represent the College on workforce development councils, employer advisory boards, professional associations, and community partnerships. Maintain active engagement with national best practices, labor market trends, NACE competencies, and emerging workforce needs. Perform other duties as assigned in support of the mission of the Division of Student Success & Retention.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

Comprehensive knowledge of career development theory, workforce development, and experiential learning best practices. Strong understanding of employer relations, partnership cultivation, and workforce trends. Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain productive relationships with business, industry, nonprofit, and community partners. Knowledge of NACE Career Readiness Competencies and career services assessment practices. Experience analyzing and reporting post‑graduate outcomes and first‑destination data. Excellent presentation, networking, public speaking, and relationship‑building skills. Strong organizational, leadership, communication, and project management abilities. Demonstrated commitment to student success, equity, and experiential learning.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Required: Master’s degree in Higher Education, Career Development, Business Administration, Human Resources, Student Affairs, Education, or a related field. Minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in career services, workforce development, employer relations, or a related field. Demonstrated experience developing employer partnerships and career readiness initiatives. Experience supervising programs, coordinating events, and utilizing assessment data to improve outcomes. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Preferred: Experience working at a liberal arts institution and/or HBCU. Experience with internship program administration and experiential learning initiatives. Experience collecting and reporting first‑destination or post‑graduate outcomes data. Active engagement with professional organizations such as NACE. Established relationships with regional employers, workforce agencies, or industry partners. #J-18808-Ljbffr Bennett College